Rotgut.org Blog: #6502 - Chinatown Inn, Pittsburgh, PA

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

#6502 - Chinatown Inn, Pittsburgh, PA - 3/31/2026

Chinatown Inn, Pittsburgh, PA

I finally made it to the Chinatown Inn, the last living vestige of Pittsburgh's Chinatown community, which thrived in this area of town particularly in the period of 1910 to 1940, until the construction of the Boulevard of the Allies and other urban renewal efforts drove out the vast major of residents and tore down many of the buildings.

While the restaurant has been on my to-do list since virtually the day we moved here, I confess that I only recently noticed that it has a small bar at the rear, and that this moved it up my priorities. I do not know how long they have had a bar, but the restaurant opened on Labor Day (Sep 2), 1946. It was founded by Tong Yee, who had worked the transcontinental railroad after immigrating from Taishan in the Guangdong province in the early 1900s, and has remained in the family ever since. In 1948, Tong handed management over to his son Soo Lim Yee, just returned from duty as a U.S. Army truck driver in WWII. After 40 years at the helm, Soo Lim Yee passed ownership to his stepson Jonathan. In 1988, Soo Lim Yee passed ownership to his stepson Jonathan Yee and his wife Wei, who run it to this day.

At least one account says that "the building itself was constructed by Chinese immigrants in 1933," (nextpittsburgh), but whatever the case it was a center of the Chinese community for many years before that. A March 1930 Post-Gazette article describes the temple there at the time:

"We went there recently with Yee Lee, head man of the On Leongs, who led the way from low-lit Third Avenue up two flights of narrow stairs past the numbered doors of the officers' quarters.... The shrine is a fantastic niche, in the center of which is a painting of the deified General Kwow Kong, to whom joss-sticks are burned morning and night. There is an ornately carved teakwood altar holding beautiful vases of Canton, China, nameless doodads crowned with artificial flowers, and solid lead incense burners inlaid with colorful enamel. Peacock feathers, embroideries framed in ebony inlaid with mother-of-pearl and odd lamps complete the picture. Rococo chairs line the walls, under paintings by Chinese, Italian, and American artists."

And like so many businesses in Pittsburgh, it also served as a speakeasy during prohibition. E.g. on Nov 29 1930, federal agents raided the building and arrested Yee King Lai, the president of the temple of the On Leong tong, and seized a quantity of gum opium and 25 gallons of moonshine whiskey. For those who hear "tong" and think "gang," this was primarily a large association of Chinese Merchants and Businessmen. It is true that, as with the Italian and other communities, in the prohibition and depression eras Pittsburgh witnessed sometimes homicidal clashes between the On Leong tong and the Hip Sing tong. But by about the mid 30s it had become an organization more similar to the Chamber of Commerce.

Today the bar here at the Chinatown is small (4 seats) and plainly secondary, and the food menu remains unapologetically classic Americanized Chinese done well:

'Meat is never frozen. Every cut is done by hand. Soups start with chicken bones and simmer overnight.... Their egg foo young is still hand-poured and pan-fried to order, its crispy edges soaking up a house-made brown gravy. The chow fun features wide, silky rice noodles stir-fried with beef and bean sprouts in a smoking-hot wok. And the chop suey, a dish that is often dismissed as Americanized, is proudly prepared with fresh vegetables and lean cuts of meat, just as it always was. While newer, trendier restaurants have emerged with bold flavors and modern flair, Chinatown Inn has stayed the course. "This is the food people came home to," Jonathan says. "And it’s still what a lot of them come back for."' (nextpittsburgh)

You can certainly find some more extravagant and/or strictly traditional Chinese in neighborhoods like Shadyside. But the Chinatown Inn remains a solid, dependable place for both meals and history.